Bismarck is the capital city of North Dakota. It's centrally located in the state and in North America and is bordered on the west by the scenic Missouri River. Bismarck is an economically diverse, fast growing and dynamic community. The Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) for 2018 shows a population of more than 132,000.

The Bismarck Public School District has been in the public education business for 145 years (since 1874); Linda Slaughter had a private school in 1874 for a year. The first graduating class was in 1887, when two people graduated. In 2018, 850 students graduated. The oldest building is part of BHS, built in 1934. The newest school is Legacy High, which opened in 2015.

We are the largest school district in the state, with 13,312 students on the first day of 2019-20 and more than 2,100 employees. We have over 500 classrooms in 16 grade schools, 3 middle schools, 3 senior high schools, an alternative high school, a Career Academy and Technical Center, and an early childhood program.

BPS has a strong graduation rate. The average daily attendance was 96% in 2018-19. All of our schools are "accredited with commendation" by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Some schools have received "Blue Ribbon" awards, a high national honor.

Bismarck Public Schools requires 24 credits to graduate from high school; 20% of students in grades 10-12 are members of the National Honor Society, and 20% of the seniors are Presidential Academic Fitness Award winners, maintaining an A- or higher GPA and score at the 85th percentile or above on a national achievement test.